Treatment apparatus and method of controlling same

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a treatment apparatus and a method of controlling the same. There are provided a treatment apparatus, including a handpiece, an RF generator generating RF energy, an insertion unit configured to advance and retract toward one direction of the handpiece, selectively inserted into a tissue, and electrically connected to the RF generator to transfer the RF energy to the inside of the tissue, and a substance storage unit receiving a therapeutic substance therein and detachably installed on one side of the handpiece to transfer the substance to the inside of the tissue by the advancing operation of the insertion unit and a method of controlling the same.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of U.S.application Ser. No. 16/066,952 filed Jun. 28, 2018, which is a U.S.National Stage of PCT/KR2018/002563, filed Mar. 5, 2018, which claimsthe priority benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0028121,filed on Mar. 6, 2017 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a treatment apparatus and a method ofcontrolling the same and, more particularly, to a treatment apparatus inwhich an insertion unit is inserted into a tissue and delivers RF energyand a method of controlling the same.

BACKGROUND ART

A method of treating a tissue may be divided into a method of treating atissue outside the tissue and an invasive treatment method of treating atissue by inserting some of or the entire treatment apparatus into thetissue. The invasive treatment method basically uses a treatmentapparatus having a thin-necked insertion unit, such as a needle or acatheter. Treatment is performed after the treatment apparatus isinserted up to a target location within a tissue.

The invasive treatment method includes various treatment behaviors ofperforming treatment through a mechanical operation in the state inwhich a specific tissue within a tissue is touched or delivering energyto a target location within a tissue. Specifically, in addition tosurgical treatment, the invasive treatment method is recently used forskin lesion treatment, such as wrinkle removal, scar removal and acnetreatment, by inserting an insertion unit into the skin and deliveringRF energy. Such a treatment method has been disclosed in Korean PatentApplication Publication No. 10-2011-0000790.

The invasive treatment method includes a picky process of inserting theinsertion unit into a tissue and involves pain, but has an advantage inthat a treatment effect is excellent because treatment is directlyperformed within a tissue. Accordingly, various research and developmentfor performing complex treatment within a tissue in the state in whichthe insertion unit has been inserted are carried out.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

An object of the present invention is to provide a treatment apparatuscapable of performing treatment by combining a treatment method oftransferring RF energy to a tissue and a treatment method oftransferring a therapeutic substance in performing treatment using aninvasive treatment method, and a method of controlling the same.

Technical Solution

A treatment apparatus according to the present invention provides atreatment apparatus, including a handpiece, an RF generator generatingRF energy, an insertion unit configured to advance and retract towardone direction of the handpiece, selectively inserted into a tissue, andelectrically connected to the RF generator to transfer the RF energy tothe inside of the tissue, and a substance storage unit receiving atherapeutic substance therein and detachably installed on one side ofthe handpiece to transfer the substance to the inside of the tissue bythe advancing operation of the insertion unit.

In this case, the substance storage unit may be positioned on a pathalong which the insertion unit moves while the insertion unit performsthe advancing and retracting operation. The insertion unit may beinserted into the tissue through the substance storage unit whenperforming the advancing operation.

The insertion unit is inserted into the tissue in the state in which thesubstance has been applied on an external surface of the insertion unitwhile the insertion unit penetrates the substance storage unit.Accordingly, the substance may be transferred from a surface of thetissue to the depth into which the end of the insertion unit is insertedalong the path formed within the tissue by the insertion of theinsertion unit. Furthermore, the insertion unit may operate to transferthe RF energy after the substance is transferred to the inside of thetissue.

In one embodiment, an external surface of the insertion unit may have astructure in which prominences and depressions are formed in order toimprove transfer efficiency of the substance to the inside of thetissue.

Meanwhile, the treatment apparatus further includes a controllercontrolling the operations of the RF generator and the insertion unit.The controller may differently control the advancing and retractingoperation of the insertion unit depending on whether the substancestorage unit has been installed.

Specifically, the treatment apparatus further includes an installationsensing unit sending whether the substance storage unit has beeninstalled. The controller may differently control the advancing andretracting operation of the insertion unit based on information sensedby the installation sensing unit.

Furthermore, the controller may control the advancing and retractingoperation of the insertion unit in a first mode in the state in whichthe substance storage unit has not been installed. The controller maycontrol the advancing and retracting operation of the insertion unit ina second mode in the state in which the substance storage unit has beeninstalled.

For example, if the depth of the same tissue is a target location, inthe second mode, the insertion unit may be controlled to additionallyadvance as much as a length corresponding to a thickness of thesubstance storage unit compared to the first mode.

Alternatively, in the first mode, the end of the insertion unit may becontrolled to be inserted into the tissue when the insertion unitadvances, and the end of the insertion unit may be controlled to bereceived within the handpiece when the insertion unit retracts. In thesecond mode, the end of the insertion unit may be controlled to beinserted into the tissue when the insertion unit advances, and the endof the insertion unit may be controlled to be received within thesubstance storage unit when the insertion unit retracts.

The substance received in the substance storage unit may have a gelform. Furthermore, at least one surface of the substance storage unitthrough which the insertion unit penetrates may have a membranestructure having viscoelasticity so that the advancing and retractingoperation of the insertion unit are easily performed and a leakage ofthe substance through a through hole formed by the advancing andretracting operation of the insertion unit is minimized. Moreover, thesubstance storage unit may further include a marking part indicatingwhether the substance storage unit is used when the substance storageunit is coupled to the handpiece.

Meanwhile, the present invention provides a method of controlling atreatment apparatus, including the steps of installing a substancestorage unit in which a therapeutic substance is received on one side ofa handpiece, advancing a plurality of insertion units to a substancestorage unit so that the substance is applied on external surfaces ofthe insertion units provided in the handpiece, inserting the insertionunits applied with the substance into a tissue by advancing theinsertion units through a surface of the tissue, transferring RF energyto the inside of the tissue through the insertion units, and retractingthe insertion units so that the insertion units exit from the tissue.

Moreover, the method of controlling a treatment apparatus may furtherinclude the step of sensing whether the substance storage unit has beeninstalled.

In this case, the step of retracting the insertion units may furtherinclude the steps of retracting the insertion units so that the ends ofthe insertion units are located within the substance storage unit andinserting the insertion units into the tissue by moving the position ofthe handpiece in the state in which the ends of the insertion units havebeen positioned in the substance storage unit.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a method of controlling atreatment apparatus, including the steps of sensing whether anaccommodation unit in which a therapeutic substance is received has beenpositioned on one side of a handpiece to which an insertion unitadvances, setting the insertion unit in a first mode in which theinsertion unit is advanced as much as a first length and transfers RFenergy when the substance storage unit is sensed to have not beeninstalled, and setting the insertion unit in a second mode in which theinsertion unit is advanced as much as a second length longer than thefirst length and transfers RF energy when the substance storage unit issensed to have been installed.

Moreover, the present invention may provide a treatment method using atreatment apparatus, including the steps of installing a substancestorage unit in which a therapeutic substance is received on one side ofthe handpiece through which an insertion unit advances and retracts,advancing the insertion unit to the substance storage unit and applyingthe substance on an external surface of the insertion unit, insertingthe insertion unit applied with the substance into a tissue andtransferring the substance to the inside of the tissue, and transferringRF energy to the inside of the tissue using the insertion unit.

Advantageous Effects

In accordance with the present invention, there are advantages in thatthe time taken for treatment can be reduced, a treatment operation canbe simplified, and a treatment effect can be improved because treatmentof a method of transferring RF energy and treatment of a method oftransferring a substance can be performed through a single operation.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a treatment apparatus according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the handpiece and substance storageunit of the treatment apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the end of the handpiece of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of one of aplurality of needles of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a substancestorage unit of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the state in which treatment has beenperformed in the state in which the substance storage unit has beeninstalled in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing major control systems of the treatmentapparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling the treatmentapparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing steps according to a first mode in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing steps according to a second mode in FIG.8.

MODE FOR INVENTION

Hereinafter, a treatment apparatus according to embodiments of thepresent invention is described in detail with reference to the drawings.In the following description, the location relations between elementsare described in principle based on the drawings. Furthermore, thedrawings may be enlarged and shown in order to simplify the structure ofthe invention for convenience of description or if necessary.Accordingly, the present invention is not limited thereto, and variousdevices may be added, changed or omitted.

Hereinafter, the “treatment apparatus” includes all apparatuses fortreating mammals including people. The treatment apparatus may includemay include various treatment apparatuses used to improve a lesion orthe state of a tissue. For example, the treatment apparatus includes anapparatus transferring treating substances, such as medicines,anesthetic, and stem cells, an operation apparatus for surgicallytreating a specific tissue, and various treatment apparatusestransferring RF energy.

Hereinafter, a “tissue” means a set of cells forming various body organsof an animal including people, and includes various tissues formingvarious organs within the body, including a skin tissue.

Hereinafter, an “insertion unit” means an element that belongs to atreatment apparatus and that is inserted into a tissue. The insertionunit has a lengthy structure having a sharp and thin end, such as aneedle, micro needle or a catheter, and includes various structuresinserted into a tissue through a surface of the tissue.

Hereinafter, the treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of thepresent invention is described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is aperspective view showing a treatment apparatus according to anembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective viewshowing the handpiece and substance storage unit of the treatmentapparatus of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the treatment apparatus 1 according to the presentinvention is configured to include a main body 100, a handpiece 200enabling a user to perform treatment while the user graphs thehandpiece, and a substance storage unit 400 detachably installed on oneside of the handpiece.

An RF generator 140 (refer to FIG. 7) may be provided within the mainbody 100. The RF generator generates RF energy used for treatment. Thefrequency of RF energy generated from the RF generator may be controlleddepending on the physical constitution, treatment purpose, a treatmentportion, etc. of a patient. For example, RF energy used for skintreatment may be controlled in the range of 0.1 to 0.8 MHz.

A power on/off switch 110, a frequency control lever 120 capable ofcontrolling the frequency of RF energy generated from the RF generator,and a touch screen 130 displaying a variety of types of informationincluding operation contents of the treatment apparatus, enabling a userto enter commands, and displaying treatment information may bepositioned on an external surface of the main body 100.

Meanwhile, the handpiece 200 is connected to the main body by aconnection unit 500. The connection unit 500 is an element fortransferring power necessary for various devices of the handpiece 200 tooperate or a control signal from the main body. RF energy from the RFgenerator of the main body 100 may also be transferred to the insertionunit 320 of the handpiece through the connection unit 500. Theconnection unit 500 may consist of a cable including various signallines, power lines, etc. or may consist of a bending structure that maybe easily bent by a manipulation of a user.

The handpiece 200 is an element that substantially performs treatment ata location neighboring a treatment location in the treatment apparatus1, and has a form capable of being grasped and used by a hand of a user.Schematically, the handpiece 200 is configured to include the insertionunit 320 configured to be inserted into a tissue and perform invasivetreatment, a driving unit 210 for moving the insertion unit, and ahandpiece manipulation unit 230 for manipulating the operation contentsof the insertion unit and the driving unit.

Specifically, the handpiece manipulation unit 230 and a handpiecedisplay unit 220 may be provided on an external surface of a housingforming the body of the handpiece 200. The handpiece manipulation unit230 is configured to manipulate the on/off of the handpiece, control theinsertion depth of the insertion unit or the amount of energytransferred through the insertion unit. The handpiece display unit 220may display a set mode or a variety of types of information necessaryduring treatment for a user. Accordingly, the user can easily manipulatetreatment contents during treatment through the handpiece manipulationunit 230 in the state in which the user has grasped the handpiece 200with a hand, and may easily check treatment contents through thehandpiece display unit 220.

The driving unit 210 is positioned within the handpiece 200. The drivingunit 210 is configured to linearly move an output terminal 211 providedon one side of the driving unit in the length direction. A plurality ofneedles corresponding to the insertion unit 320 is disposed at the endof the output terminal. When the output terminal 211 linearly moves, theinsertion unit 320 may advance and retract to and from one side of thehandpiece. As described above, the insertion unit 320 is advanced andretracted by the driving of the driving unit 210, so the insertion unitcan be inserted into a tissue of a patient or drawn out from the tissue.The driving unit 210 may include a solenoid, a linear actuator using ahydraulic/pneumatic cylinder, etc.

The insertion unit 320 is an element inserted up to a tissue through atissue surface as described above, and is provided in the handpiece 200.The insertion unit 320 of the present embodiment includes a plurality ofmicro needles capable of being easily inserted into a tissue. Inaddition, the insertion unit may have various structures, such as asingular needle structure and a catheter. The micro needle of thepresent embodiment may be a needle having a diameter of a range ofseveral to several thousands of μm. A needle having a diameter of arange of 10 to 1000 μm may be preferably used as the micro needle.

The insertion unit 320 is an element inserted into a tissue within thebody of a patient and may have a sanitary problem if it is repeatedlyused. Accordingly, the insertion unit of the present embodiment isprovided within a tip module detachably provided at the end of thehandpiece and is configured to be replaced after treatment.

Specifically, the tip module 300 is configured to include the insertionunit having the plurality of needles, and is detachably positioned in ahandpiece body 201. Specifically, a base 301 forms the bottom of the tipmodule. Detachment protrusions 307 that are protruded outward are formedon the outer wall of the base. Guide grooves 241 guiding the detachmentprotrusions and an anti-separation groove 242 for preventing thedetachment protrusions 307 guided along the guide grooves 241 from beingseparated are formed in a recess part 240 to which the tip module iscoupled on the handpiece side. Furthermore, the detachment protrusions307 of the tip module are disposed in the handpiece in such a mannerthat they are guided into the guide grooves 241 and coupled to theanti-separation groove 242. In this case, as in the present embodiment,an example in which the tip module is detachably positioned in thehandpiece is illustrative, and the tip module or the insertion unit maybe integrated with the handpiece.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the end of the handpiece of FIG. 2.Referring to FIG. 3, the front S of the end of the handpiece 200 is aportion that comes into contact with a skin tissue for treatment. Asupport plate 310 in which the insertion unit 320 is positioned isprovided within the tip module 300. The plurality of needles 320 formingthe insertion unit is fixed and disposed in the support plate 310 in amatrix form. RF energy is transferred through a circuit formed in thesupport plate 310. The front S of the tip module may form a portion thatneighbors or comes into contact with the skin of a patient upontreatment. A plurality of advancing and retracting holes 302 throughwhich the plurality of needles advances and retracts is formed in thefront S.

At least one hole 303 through which the output terminal 211 can pass isprovided at the bottom of the tip module. The output terminal 211pressurizes the support plate 310 while linearly moving along the hole303 when the driving unit 210 operates. The back of the support plate310 is seated in a support 304 within the tip module, and the frontthereof is pressurized by an elastic member 330 positioned within thetip module. When the output terminal 211 moves and pressurizes thesupport plate 310, the support plate 310 is separated from the support304 and advances. Accordingly, the plurality of needles 320 is protrudedtoward the front of the hole 302 and inserted into a skin tissue.Furthermore, when the output terminal 211 is retracted by the driving ofthe driving unit 210, the support plate 310 is retracted by therestoring force of the elastic member 330, so the plurality of needles320 also returns to the inside of the tip module. Although notseparately shown, a separate guide member for guiding the path alongwhich the support plate moves may be further provided.

Although not shown in the drawing specifically, the circuit of thesupport plate 310 may be configured to be electrically connected to theRF generator of the main body when the tip module is positioned in thehandpiece. Alternatively, the circuit of the support plate may beconfigured to be selectively electrically connected to the RF generatorwhen the support plate is pressurized by the output terminal 211 (e.g.,an electrode may be formed at the end of the output terminal andelectrically connected to the support plate when the support plate ispressurized).

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of one of theplurality of needles of FIG. 3. Each of the needles 320 corresponding tothe insertion unit may include a micro needle having a diameter ofapproximately 5 to 500 μm. The needle 320 is made of a conductivematerial in order to transfer RF energy. A portion of a surface of eachneedle except a tip is made of an insulating material 321 and isconfigured to not transfer RF energy to a tissue. Accordingly, a portionof the tip of each needle is configured to function as an electrode 322and transfer RF energy to a tissue through the tip. Accordingly, duringtreatment, RF energy may be selectively transferred to a portion wherethe end of the needle is positioned.

Description is given basically with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Thetreatment apparatus 1 according to the present invention may furtherinclude a substance storage unit 400 for transferring a substance to atissue during treatment. The substance storage unit is an element forreceiving various substances used for tissue treatment. As shown in FIG.2, the substance storage unit 400 is positioned on one side of thehandpiece 200 through which the insertion unit 320 advances andretracts. That is, the substance storage unit 400 is positioned on thepath along which the insertion unit advances and retracts. The insertionunit 320 penetrates the substance storage unit 400 while it performs anadvancing and retracting operation. Accordingly, the substance of thesubstance storage unit may be transferred into a tissue by the insertionunit 320 during the advancing and retracting operation of the insertionunit.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of thesubstance storage unit of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the substancestorage unit 400 may include a case 410 and an accommodation space 420provided within the case to receive a substance.

The substance received in the accommodation space 420 is a substanceused for treatment, and may include a substance used for treatment asvarious objects, such as anesthesia, pain relief and side effectprevention, in addition to a substance having its own treatment effect.For example, the substance may be a substance including a bio substance,collagen, and anesthetic drugs, such as drugs and cells. Such asubstance may have a viscous substance state, such as a gel, so that itcan be easily applied on an external surface of the insertion unit 320and transferred to a tissue while the insertion unit 320 passes.Alternatively, the substance may be configured in the state in which itis received by a support structure (e.g., a honeycomb structure (notshown)) formed within the accommodation space. The support structure mayinclude a flexible structure that does not affect the advancing andretracting operation of the insertion unit.

A coupling structure to be selectively coupled to the handpiece may beconfigured on an external surface of the case 410. For example, in thepresent embodiment, the substance storage unit 400 is positioned to beselectively detachably in the tip module 300 of the handpiece.Specifically, a guide rib 321 is provided on the front of the tip module300 of FIG. 2. A guide groove 411 to be coupled to the guide rib may beprovided on an external surface of the case of the substance storageunit 400. Accordingly, the substance storage unit 400 is positioned insuch a way as to slide on the front of the tip module 300. The handpiecemay transfer a substance to a tissue when invasive treatment isperformed.

As described above, in the treatment apparatus 1 according to thepresent invention, the substance storage unit 400 may be selectivelypositioned, if necessary, in order to perform invasive treatment inwhich only RF energy is transferred or to perform both RF energytransfer measurement and substance transfer treatment.

In this case, FIG. 2 shows an example in which the substance storageunit is positioned at the front end of the tip module, but this is anexample. In addition, the substance storage unit may be changed andpracticed in various manners. For example, the tip module and thesubstance storage unit may be configured into a single module andcoupled to the handpiece at once. Alternatively, the substance storageunit may be configured to be coupled to the body of the handpiece notthe tip module.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 5, a pair of through surfaces 430 and 440through which the insertion unit consisting of the micro needlespenetrates is formed on the top and bottom (with respect to the drawing)of the substance storage unit 400. The through surface may be formed ofa thin membrane structure made of a material having a viscoelasticitycharacteristic. For example, the through surface may be made of apolymer substance having a viscoelasticity characteristic. In this case,the insertion unit can easily penetrate the through surfaces. Thethrough surfaces are configured to minimize the leakage of a substancewithin the accommodation space through a through hole (not shown)through which the insertion unit penetrates while the advancing andretracting operation of the insertion unit are repeatedly performed.

Moreover, although not shown in FIG. 5, the substance storage unit 400may further include a separate marking part for indicating whether thesubstance storage unit is used. The marking part may be implemented invarious manners, and may be configured to indicate whether the substancestorage unit is used in such a way as to remove a sticker or packingmaterials or to indicate whether the substance storage unit is used insuch a manner that part of the color of the through surface is changedwhen the through hole is penetrated. Accordingly, a sanitary problem,such as infection, can be prevented and a treatment effect can beguaranteed because the reuse of the substance storage unit is prevented.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the state in which treatment has beenperformed in the state in which the substance storage unit has beeninstalled in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 6, when the insertion unit 320 isadvanced by the driving of the driving unit 210, the insertion unit 320is inserted into a tissue through the substance storage unit 400. Atthis time, the insertion unit 320 is inserted into the tissue in thestate in which a substance of the substance storage unit has beenapplied on an external surface of the insertion unit 320. The substanceis transferred from the tissue surface to a target depth into which theend of the insertion unit is inserted along the insertion path of theinsertion unit. Accordingly, treatment using RF energy and treatmentusing the substance can be performed at each treatment location at thesame time.

The substance transferred along the insertion path may be a substancehaving the effect of improving skin lesions, such as wrinkle, skinelasticity and pigmentation, a substance having the effect of recoveringwound through invasive treatment, a substance for reducing pain wheninvasive treatment is performed, or a substance having then effect ofdecomposing a subcutaneous fat tissue.

Furthermore, an external surface of the insertion unit 320 may have asurface-processed structure so that fine prominences and depressions areformed on the surface in order to improve transfer efficiency of asubstance to a tissue (refer to FIG. 4). In this case, if the prominenceand depression structure is sharp and large in size, a tissue may bedamaged in a tissue insertion step. In the present embodiment, a coatingsurface of the insulating part 321 of the insertion unit may besubjected to surface processing and used.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing major control systems of the treatmentapparatus of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 7, a controller 600 is an elementcontrolling the operations of various elements of the main body and thehandpiece. The controller may perform a treatment operation of thetreatment apparatus by driving the RF generator 140 and the driving unit210. The controller 600 controls a treatment operation based on a user'scontrol or a preset mode. The controller 600 may further include aseparate database or processor. Accordingly, when a variety of types ofinformation necessary for control is transmitted to the controller, thecontroller may derive a suitable control signal based on the informationby using or calculating previously stored data.

The controller 600 may control a treatment operation in a different modedepending on the location where the substance storage unit 400 ispositioned in controlling the treatment operation of the treatmentapparatus. For example, the controller 600 may control a treatmentoperation in a first mode in the state in which the substance storageunit has not been installed, and may control a treatment operation in asecond mode in the state in which the substance storage unit has beeninstalled. In this case, the first mode and the second mode areconfigured to have different treatment operations according to theinsertion unit. For example, when the insertion unit performs anadvancing and retracting operation, an advancing length or retractinglength, the time taken for the advancing and retracting operation, theparameter of RF energy transferred through the end of the insertionunit, etc. may be differently configured. Such control contents aredescribed more specifically with reference to FIG. 8 below.

Meanwhile, the controller 600 may determine whether the substancestorage unit has been installed based on a signal input by a user. Inthe present embodiment, however, an installation sensing unit 250 forsensing whether the substance storage unit has been installed may beseparately included. Although the configuration of the installationsensing unit is not specifically shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, theinstallation sensing unit may include a photosensor, a pressure sensoror a current-carrying sensor and may be easily configured toautomatically sense the substance storage unit when it is positioned atthe front of the handpiece or a location near the handpiece.Furthermore, the controller 600 may control a treatment operation in atreatment mode depending on whether the installation sensing unit hasbeen installed based on information sensed by the installation sensingunit 250.

Alternatively, the controller 600 may perform control based on atreatment mode input by a user. If a control command not matched withinformation sensed by the installation sensing unit is received (e.g., auser inputs the first mode operation in the state in which the substancestorage unit has been installed), the controller 600 may be configuredto notify a user of the mismatching through the display unit.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling the treatmentapparatus of FIG. 1. The method of controlling the treatment apparatusof the present embodiment is described below with reference to FIG. 8.

Prior to the execution of treatment, the controller 600 senses whetherthe substance storage unit has been installed through the installationsensing unit 250 (S10). If it is determined that the substance storageunit has not been positioned, the controller 600 sets operation contentsso that the treatment apparatus may operate in the first mode (S20).Furthermore, if it is determined that the substance storage unit hasbeen installed, the controller sets operation contents so that thetreatment apparatus operates in the second mode (S40). Furthermore, thecontroller performs treatment based on each mode (S30, S50).

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing treatment execution steps according to thefirst mode in FIG. 8. The treatment step S30 according to the first modeis treatment in which RF energy is transferred to the inside of a tissuewithout using separate drug transfer treatment.

First, the handpiece is positioned at the treatment location of a tissue(S31). At this time, the front end of the tip module of the handpiece ispositioned to neighbor or come into contact with a tissue surfacecorresponding to the treatment location.

Furthermore, the driving unit 210 of the handpiece is driven to advancethe insertion unit 320 of the handpiece 200 by a first length (S32). Inthis case, the first length is the distance for reaching up to the depthof a target location within the tissue in the state in which thesubstance storage unit has not been installed. For example, the firstlength may be the sum of the distance from the initial location of theend of the insertion unit to the end of the tip module coming intocontact with a surface of the tissue and the depth from the tissuesurface to the target location. Moreover, the first length may be alength to which a compensation length for compensating for displacementoccurring from a surface of the tissue due to the insertion unit hasbeen added.

When the end of the insertion unit 320 reaches up to the depth of thetarget location through the aforementioned step, RF energy istransferred to the target location (S33). Through this step, the RFenergy generated from the RF generator 140 is transferred to the targetlocation through the electrode of the end of the insertion unit, sotreatment at the target location may be performed. This step isperformed during a first time, and the RF energy may be transferred as afirst output.

When the treatment step is terminated, the driving unit of the handpieceis driven to retract the insertion unit of the handpiece, therebyremoving the insertion unit from the tissue (S34). Furthermore, thetreatment location may be changed (S35), and steps S31 to S34 may berepeatedly performed.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing treatment execution steps according tothe second mode in FIG. 8. In the treatment step S50 according to thesecond mode, RF energy transfer treatment and substance transfertreatment for a tissue are performed at the same time in the state inwhich the substance storage unit 400 has been coupled.

As in the steps according to the first mode, the handpiece is positionedat the treatment location of a tissue (S51). Furthermore, the drivingunit of the handpiece is driven to advance the insertion unit 320 of thehandpiece by a second length (S52). In this case, the second length isthe distance for enabling the end of the insertion unit to arrive froman initial location to a depth up to a target location within the tissuein the state in which the substance storage unit has been installed.Accordingly, the second length is greater than the first length and maybe a value to which a length corresponding to the thickness of thesubstance storage unit has been added compared to the first length. Inthis case, the length corresponding to the thickness of the substancestorage unit is not limited to the same length as the thickness, but maybe construed as being an additional advancing length necessary due tothe installation of the substance storage unit. Moreover, like the firstlength, the second length may be a length to which a compensation lengthfor compensating for displacement occurring from a surface of the tissuedue to the insertion unit has been added.

In this step, while the insertion unit penetrates the substance storageunit, a substance of the substance storage unit 400 is applied on theinsertion unit along an external surface of the insertion unit 320(refer to FIG. 6). Furthermore, while the insertion unit is insertedinto the tissue through the substance storage unit, the substanceapplied on the external surface of the insertion unit is transferredfrom a tissue surface of a corresponding location to the depth of thetarget location along the insertion path.

When the end of the insertion unit reaches up to the depth of the targetlocation through the aforementioned step, RF energy is transferred tothe target location (S53). This step is performed for a second time, andthe RF energy may be transferred as a second output. In this step, theRF energy is transferred in the state in which the substance has beentransferred to the tissue. Parameters, such as the second time and thesecond output, may be set by taking into consideration an effectaccording to the substance. For example, if a substance includes acomponent capable of alleviating pain or a component that acceleratesrecovery, the second time may be set longer than the first time or thesecond output may be set greater than the first output so thatsufficient RF energy can be transferred.

Thereafter, when the RF energy transfer step is terminated, the drivingunit of the handpiece is driven to retract the insertion unit of thehandpiece (S54). In this step, the insertion unit may be controlled tonot retract up to the initial location (within the tip module) at stepsS51 and S52, but to retract as much as the length that the insertionunit can be drawn out from the tissue. The retracting length of thisstep may be a third length smaller than the second length and may be thesame as the retracting length in the operation according to the firstmode. Through this step, the end of the insertion unit 320 may belocated within the accommodation space 420 of the substance storageunit.

Thereafter, the treatment location may be changed (S55), and steps S51to S54 may be repeatedly performed. In this case, the end of theinsertion unit is different from the initial position at step S51 in thestate in which the aforementioned step has been performed. Accordingly,in the step of advancing the insertion unit, the advancing length iscontrolled to be smaller than the second length. For example, the stepof advancing the insertion unit may be repeatedly performed whileadvancing the insertion unit by the third length.

The treatment apparatus for performing treatment by transferring RFenergy to a skin tissue has been chiefly described above. This is anexample, and may be applied to a treatment apparatus that is focused onother tissue not a skin tissue. Furthermore, in the present embodiment,the treatment apparatus including the main body and the handpiece hasbeen chiefly described, but the present invention is not limited theretoand may be applied to a treatment apparatus in which the handpiece isconfigured in a single module form.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described indetail, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. It is tobe noted that a person having ordinary skill in the art to which thepresent invention pertains may modify or change the present invention invarious manners without departing from the scope of the technicalcharacteristics of the present invention defined in the claims.

1. A treatment apparatus, comprising: a handpiece; an RF generatorgenerating RF energy; an insertion unit configured to advance andretract toward one direction of the handpiece, selectively inserted intoa tissue, and electrically connected to the RF generator to transfer theRF energy to an inside of the tissue; a substance storage unit receivinga therapeutic substance therein and detachably installed on one side ofthe handpiece to transfer the substance to the inside of the tissue bythe advancing operation of the insertion unit, and a controllercontrolling the advancing and retracting operation of the insertionunit, wherein an end of the insertion unit is inserted into the tissuewhen the insertion unit advances, and at least a part of the insertionunit is received within the substance storage unit when the insertionunit retracts.
 2. The treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein: thesubstance storage unit is positioned on a path along which the insertionunit moves while the insertion unit performs the advancing andretracting operation, and the insertion unit is inserted into the tissuethrough the substance storage unit when performing the advancingoperation.
 3. The treatment apparatus of claim 2, wherein the insertionunit is inserted into the tissue in a state in which the substance hasbeen applied on an external surface of the insertion unit while theinsertion unit penetrates the substance storage unit.
 4. The treatmentapparatus of claim 1, wherein the substance is transferred from asurface of the tissue to a depth into which an end of the insertion unitis inserted along a path formed within the tissue by the insertion ofthe insertion unit.
 5. The treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein theinsertion unit operates to transfer the RF energy after the substance istransferred to the inside of the tissue.
 6. The treatment apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein an external surface of the insertion unit has astructure in which prominences and depressions are formed in order toimprove transfer efficiency of the substance to the inside of thetissue.
 7. The treatment apparatus of claim 1, further comprising acontroller controlling operations of the RF generator and the insertionunit, wherein the controller differently controls the advancing andretracting operation of the insertion unit depending on whether thesubstance storage unit has been installed.
 8. The treatment apparatus ofclaim 7, further comprising an installation sensing unit sending whetherthe substance storage unit has been installed, wherein the controllerdifferently controls the advancing and retracting operation of theinsertion unit based on information sensed by the installation sensingunit.
 9. The treatment apparatus of claim 7, wherein: the controllercontrols the advancing and retracting operation of the insertion unit ina first mode in the state in which the substance storage unit has notbeen installed, and the controller controls the advancing and retractingoperation of the insertion unit in a second mode in the state in whichthe substance storage unit has been installed.
 10. The treatmentapparatus of claim 8, wherein if the depth of an identical tissue is atarget location, in the second mode, the insertion unit is additionallyadvanced as much as a length corresponding to a thickness of thesubstance storage unit compared to the first mode.
 11. The treatmentapparatus of claim 8, wherein: in the first mode, an end of theinsertion unit is inserted into the tissue when the insertion unitadvances, and the end of the insertion unit is received within thehandpiece when the insertion unit retracts, and in the second mode, theend of the insertion unit is inserted into the tissue when the insertionunit advances, and the end of the insertion unit is received within thesubstance storage unit when the insertion unit retracts.
 12. Thetreatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substance received in thesubstance storage unit has a gel form.
 13. The treatment apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein at least one surface of the substance storage unitthrough which the insertion unit penetrates has a membrane structurehaving viscoelasticity so that the advancing and retracting operation ofthe insertion unit are easily performed and a leakage of the substancethrough a through hole formed by the advancing and retracting operationof the insertion unit is minimized.
 14. The treatment apparatus of claim1, wherein the substance storage unit further comprises a marking partindicating whether the substance storage unit is used when the substancestorage unit is coupled to the handpiece.